On my trip to Europe with Carrie we ended up staying in Maria Alm, a lovely ski town located a two hour train ride south of Salzburg in the Austrian Alps. Her husband’s parents had time share credit they needed to use, so Carrie used it at Alpenland Sporthotel there.

I had never heard of Maria Alm before – and I’m not a particularly big fan of winter, either – but the town now holds a special place in my heart. I hope you’ll enjoy this little photo tour of Maria Alm and all the great food, beautiful views, charming architecture, and snow that makes it so charming!

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(1) Blizzard from the train

Our train from Venice to Saalfelden took us through a blizzard in the Alps. It was amazing to see the snowstorm progressing out the train window as it slowly whitened the trees!

(2) Little town, it’s a quiet village…

Maria Alm is a gorgeous little town located in the Austrian Alps. The population is only about 2000 people, and much of the town’s economy is based on tourism. I couldn’t resist the Beauty and the Beast lyric, because it was just so fitting for this cozy ski town!

(3) On the slopes

Maria Alm is nestled in the Ski Amade – a network of 28 skiing areas that make up the largest Alpine skiing region in Europe. There are plenty of slopes nearby to choose from, with varying lengths and difficulties. I didn’t ski but Carrie did and thoroughly enjoyed herself!

(4) Alpine architecture

The town is full of traditional architecture like this – wooden houses that can be seen all over the Austrian Alps, and which give the town a very cozy feel.

(5) Out snowshoeing

While Carrie skied, I decided to try a different wintry activity: snowshoeing! I had never been before, but Maria Alm offers snowshoeing on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30am – just sign up in advance at the tourism office. My guide and her dog were great, and though I wasn’t very good at snowshoeing, I really enjoyed getting gorgeous views of Maria Alm and getting up close to the snow-covered trees on the mountains overlooking the town.

(6) Night skiing show

Every Tuesday night at 9pm in Maria Alm, you can see a wonderful night skiing show on the slope behind the lift ticket office. You’ll see synchronized skiing, some tricks with lit torches, and at the end, a wonderful fireworks show. It’s free and a great community activity, so don’t miss it if you’re in Maria Alm on a Tuesday!

(7) Christmas lights

Many Christmas lights and decorations were still out when we visited Maria Alm, making for beautiful nighttime strolls through the town.

(8) Snowfall

It snowed a great deal while we were in Maria Alm! The day we arrived was a blizzard of 6-8 inches, and the second day saw the same amount of snow! The slopes were closed for those days and some train lines were rerouted due to avalanches. The snow was beautiful though… this is a view of our hotel right from our room’s balcony!

(9) Wallfahrtskirche Catholic Church

Wallfahrtskirche is the name for the main Catholic Church in Maria Alm – the one whose spire you can see in some of the other pictures. The interior is absolutely gorgeous – crystal chandeliers hang all around and beautiful painted illustrations adorn the columns and vaulted ceilings. It was a little hard to find information on the church, but we learned that it is a pilgrimage church. If you’re in Maria Alm on the Feast of St. Bartholomew, you could participate in the 400-year-old tradition!

(10) Gondola views

Though I didn’t ski, I did buy a cheap lift ticket (the later in the day you buy, the cheaper they are) and ride the gondolas up for amazing views of the surrounding forests and mountains!

(11) Snow-capped evergreens

These were some of the trees I was able to get up close with while snowshoeing. You can also see a little trail left by a rabbit hopping from one group of trees to another.

(12) Hearty food

We ate at Hotel Gasthof Niederreiter several times, as it was located near the lift ticket office and the closest ski lift. The staff was very friendly and unlike in some areas of the town, we didn’t have any issues with our extremely limited German there. Here you can see one of my favorite meals – venison stew and a dumpling, steamed red cabbage on the side, and served a pear with cranberries.

(13) Après-ski options

This photo was another gondola view, and you can see some of the lodges and restaurants that are all over the slopes. There are plenty of options for a drink or some food if you need a break from skiing, and in town there are all sorts of options for an après-ski!

(14) Winter wear

Carrie and I both forgot to bring winter hats on the trip (oops!) but no worries – there are a few great stores in Maria Alm where you can gear up for winter. Everything is available from cute winter hats to ski goggles to a full set of skis and poles.

(15) Mountain views

My gondola ticket was worth the price for nothing else than just this breathtaking view of this untouched Alpine valley, taken from the top of one of the ski hills!

(16) Snow piles

You can’t have a winter wonderland without snow, and there was so much snow in Maria Alm! The blizzards the first two days we were there helped with that of course, and as the town dealt with it all they had to pile it approximately “one Carrie high” in places!

(17) Lonesome cabin in the fog

This was another shot I captured while out snowshoeing on that foggy morning. This cabin is actually a shed where farm equipment is kept, some of it quite antique (we were able to snowshoe up to it and get a look inside). It was hard to imagine this place in the summer, when all this snow is gone and they can plant this area with crops!

(18) Cozy cafe

There are tons of cozy cafes in Maria Alm. We hit this one up on the day we were snowed in and unable to make it for our Salzburg day trip. The wonderful hot chocolate and ham and spaetzle definitely made us feel better for not being able to go!

(19) Skiers at sunset

I’ll conclude with one last shot from a gondola. We rode some of the last ones down, so the sun was starting to set as we got toward the bottom, and I was able to capture these skiers doing their last runs of the day.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this photostory of our time in Maria Alm! The town is charming, and everyone was very friendly. There is great skiing and snowboarding in the area, but even if you’re like me and aren’t inclined to either of those activities, you’ll find plenty to enjoy. I think winter even grew a little on me during this trip. 🙂

Have you visited, or spent any time in other regions of the Alps? What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled in the winter? Let me know in the comments!